UNITED STATES AUTHOR · FICTION · HISTORY
I. J. Parker
The fifteenth day of the Fifth Month was the day Tomoe died.
— from The Convict's Sword
Most acclaimed
The Convict's Sword
The latest in the terrifically imaginative (The Wall Street Journal) Akitada mystery series brings eleventh-century Japan to lifeI. J. Parkers phenomenal Akitada mystery series has been gaining fans with each new novel. The latest, The Convicts Sword, is the most fully realized installment to date, weaving history, drama, mystery, romance, and adventure into a story of passion and redemption. Lord Sugawara Akitada, the senior secretary in the Ministry of Justice, must find the mysterious killer of a man condemned to live in exile for a crime he did not commit. Meanwhile, Akitadas retainer, Tora, investigates the sudden death of a blind street singer, whose past life is a bigger mystery than anyone thought. Told in Parkers clever, vivid prose, The Convicts Sword is a must-read for those who love well-written mysteries in an exotic setting.
The dragon scroll
Introducing Sugawara Akitada—the hero of a riveting mystery series that captures the rich and exotic culture of ancient JapanIn an adventure filled with highway bandits, unscrupulous politicians, and renegade monks, The Dragon Scroll introduces readers to the lively world of eleventh-century Japan and an irrepressible hero—Sugawara Akitada. On his first official assignment, Akitada—an impoverished nobleman and earnest young government clerk in the Ministry of Justice—is sent from the capital city on a nearly impossible mission to the distant province of Kazusa to discover why tax convoys are disappearing. In the politically murky world of the Japanese court, he has been set up to fail. Against the odds, the ever-resourceful Akitada, his elderly servant Seimei, and his impudent bodyguard Tora are determined to fulfill their mission and discover the truth in a town of dangerous secrets.
Black Arrow
In I. J. Parkers latest mystery set in ancient Japan, a cold and hostile land pits Akitada against his deadliest foe yetI. J. Parkers engrossing historical novels bring eleventh-century Japan to life in all its colorful, treacherous glory. As Black Arrow opens, Sugawara Akitada assumes his new post as provisional governor of Echigo, a frigid province in the far north notorious for its hostility to outsiders. But the snow that threatens to completely isolate the region is the least of his problemswhich include a local uprising, a series of brutal murders, and a mystery thats as old as the frozen hills and a lot more dangerous. Superbly written and rich in period detail, Black Arrow is another bravura performance from a master of the historical thriller.